Abstract

Ladle slag, an industrial waste from steel manufacturing processes, is an interesting raw material for sustainable inorganic binders. In earlier work, we have developed an ettringite-based binder (LSG) from the hydration between ladle slag and gypsum. In addition, polypropylene (PP) fiber was employed to attain a strain-hardening cementitious composite from LSG. To investigate the durability of PP fiber reinforced LSG, the composite was exposed to a combined chloride and sulfate environment under freeze-thaw cycling. The compressive and flexural behavior of PP fiber reinforced LSG after up to 180 freeze-thaw cycles was experimentally characterized. The experimental results confirm the durability of LSG under Na₂SO₄-NaCl environment. Furthermore, the PP fibers generally enhance the mechanical properties and durability of the reinforced composite. Since there is a lack of study on the durability of ettringite-based binders from industrial wastes under harsh environments, this experimental study reveals the feasibility of using fiber reinforced ettringite-based composite as an alternative construction material.